and the shop that is fixing it wants to know if I want the valves done also....
I'm not sure as It will probably be expensive... here are some pic's of the engine where the gasket blew and the picture of the head.
What should I do? Should I spend the extra money and get it all done? or should i take the chance of just changing the gasket and worry about it down the road?
How many miles are on the head? Generally speaking, I am usually afflicted with "while you are in there" disease. I like to proactively take care of items while things are apart. So you have eto figure how much money are you saving in labor by doing the valves now, vs. doing them down the road. And how likely are you to have an issue with a valve anytime soon? I have an old BMW and had to replace the head gasket last year. Since it has less than 50,000 miles on it, I changed the valve stem seals only -- not a full valve job.
John
'82 Fiat Spider Turbo
'56 Abarth 750 GT Corsa MM
'59 Lancia Appia GTE Zagato
'62 Lancia Flaminia 2.5 3C Convertible
'68 Lancia Fulvia Sport Zagato
'70 Moretti Sportiva S2
'12 Abarth 500
'59 MV Agusta 250 Raid
I'll let others with more Fiat-centric expertise than me weigh in. But if the car was maintained properly, included periodic valve adjustments, I wouldn't think it would need a valve job at 75,000 miles.
John
'82 Fiat Spider Turbo
'56 Abarth 750 GT Corsa MM
'59 Lancia Appia GTE Zagato
'62 Lancia Flaminia 2.5 3C Convertible
'68 Lancia Fulvia Sport Zagato
'70 Moretti Sportiva S2
'12 Abarth 500
'59 MV Agusta 250 Raid
that head is going to need to be surfaced; and that means removing the valves. You might as well do a valve job then, it won't cost much more money. Make sure the block deck is flat between those cylinders also or the head gasket won't last long
I am also one of those "While you're in there" kind of guys. My girl is starting to leak some oil and will need the gaskets replaced and I am already thinking of rebuilding the entire motor while it's out even though it does not need it yet. I have dreams of a hi compression engine all shinny and pretty with Marks exhaust on it.
Bottom line is if the motor is out and you can afford any extra work at all then do it. It is always nice piece of mind.
So the mechanic got back to me and to do a complete valve job and engine overhaul it would be around $2500... Thats how much i paid for the car!! I'm still not sure what I'm goign to do about it does anyone rebuild engines on here? I'd rather send it away and pay the shipping than to pay that much!!
The car ran great since I got it. It was running hot the whole time and because of that I changed the thermostat, the radiator, all the rubber pipes, the overflow tank and both caps. But it still ran hot, I was trying to get all the smaller less expensive peices out of the way before I tackeled the engine. While this was all going on i was driving it everyday without a hitch. It drove great until last week and here we are.
making the jump from a valve job to a complete engine rebuild is a pretty big jump. What indicators are there to show the need for a complete overhaul? Unless there is damage to the cyl walls or deck you probably only need to rebuild the cylinder head. Depending on labor rates, that should cost about $1000.
$2500 for a complete overhaul is certainly in the range for that job. Typically all of the machine work needed will cost about $700, pistons are $350, bearings another $125, gaskets $75, hoses, spark plugs, filters, fluids, etc $200 and labor in the $1200 range all add up to about $2500. If you need new valves or an oil pump, just keep adding.
The price you paid for the car really has no bearing, unless you plan on selling it soon. Anytime you purchase a car of make an investment in it, you should have an idea of how much use you want out of it, and what value you hope it has at the end of its' life. For instance, if you only want a years' worth of driving then plan to scrap it out, rebuilding the engine doesn't make much sense. Look for a used motor. But if you want 100,000 miles of use and want to sell the car for a decent price, factor the cost of a rebuild over that time
